In the Margins
by Shinigami's Lullaby
Summary: Mikan, swept off to Arts school by notorious talent scouts, arrives at the Academy and immediately meets her childhood friend Natsume Hyuuga. Can she survive high school when he's bent on getting even with her over something she doesn't even remember?
1. Impending Doom

**Disclaimer: **GA isn't mine. Enjoy!

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**In the Margins**

_"A picture is worth a thousand words."  
-_Napoleon Bonaparte

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**Chapter 1: Impending Doom**

A skinny brunette idly doodled in the margins of her spiral bound notebook, Geometry notes forsaken. Math in general was not the brunette's forte, so she usually stared out the window, choosing oblivion over the Pythagorean Theorem. The girl, Mikan, sighed and contemplated fluffy white clouds floating by. It was monotonous days like this that she missed _him_.

_"Mikan! Wait up!" A small, black haired boy reached forward in a vain attempt to catch the flapping shirt-tail of the girl running ahead of him. "I can't keep up!"_

_"Natsu, it's just exercise. Grandpa said it's good for you, so keep up, okay?" Mikan continued to sprint, messy pigtails flying out behind her._

_"Bu…" Natsume's face crumpled as he fell even further behind the brunette, "Wait!**"** _

_But she just laughed and continued running._ _"Catch me if you can!"_

_And, with that all of Natsume's restraint crumpled and he began to cry. "Don't leave me behind!"_

_Mikan backpedaled. Even at six years she knew when somebody was crying one had to comfort them. "I'm not. See? I'm right here!"_

_The black haired boy looked up tearfully, "Promise?"_

_"Of course!"_

-----

_"Goodbye!" Seven year old Mikan waved sadly at Natsume from the window of her mother's rusty pickup truck. "I'll come back, promise!"_

_Natsume stood in the dusty street, watching as the car faded into a small speck in the distance. A single tear made its way down his cheek. He wiped it away angrily, "You promised the first time. Stupid liar." The black haired boy kicked at a rock before stuffing his hands in his pockets and trudging home._

An atrocious sound shook Mikan from her reverie; "Mikan Sakura - to the principal's office!" announced the crackling loudspeaker, emitting a series of rather painful sounding squeals that had the rest of the class cringing in their seats.

"Okay, Mikan, you heard the man," repeated the girl's badly dressed teacher, giving her a dirty look. It wasn't much of a secret that Mikan didn't pay attention during class. Although, seeing as she was only a freshman in high school, who could blame her?

The girl in question picked her way across the crowded classroom, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. The majority of her classmates were jeering, "Oooh!" and, "She's done it now!"

Mikan bit her lip - had they found out about her monthly movie escapades during Biology? Or was it the cherry bomb incident? The fifteen year old girl shivered as she trudged down the increasingly menacing hallway. Being called to the principal's office was never a good sign.

Mikan hesitated before the wooden door labeled "Principal" before summoning up her courage. _'I can do this!' _she proclaimed to herself, before barging in without knocking. Two men stood behind the principal's desk in place of the man himself.

"Excuse me?" Mikan asked confusedly. One of the two men looked up and back down again, as if deeming the brunette inconsequential.

The other smiled kindly. "You're Mikan, correct?" Blonde hair flopped over his deep violet eyes.

"She's not much to look at, is she, Narumi? Rude as well…" commented the other, idly raking a hand through jet black hair.

"I'm standing right here, you know!" Mikan growled. Who did this person think he was? He didn't even know her.

"Excuse Persona," smiled the blond one. "He didn't get much sleep last night, did you, Mr. Cranky?"

The black haired man, Persona, shot an annoyed look at Narumi. Annoyance, however, was too nice a term. If looks could kill, well… suffice to say, Narumi would have been long dead. Persona was a formidable man. The half-crazed look in his eyes did nothing to soften his looks, either.

"If you hadn't been so goddamn loud..." Persona trailed off menacingly.

"It's not my fault I like to sing in the shower! At least _I_ have a good voice." Narumi shot back. Mikan stifled a giggle, what was he wearing? The blond was dressed, to put it nicely, rather flamboyantly.

Mikan looked at the two bickering adults, not quite sure what to make of the situation. "Where's the principal? I think I'm supposed to be meeting with him right now."

"He's at a conference, but he wanted us to tell you the good news!" chirped Narumi, a big smile plastered on his face.

"…news?"

**.tbc**

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**Author's Note: **I hope you enjoyed this, review and tell me what you think! Revised September 27, 2009.

~SL~


	2. Hooked

**Disclaimer: **GA isn't mine.

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**In the Margins**

_"In art as in love, instinct is enough."  
-_Anatole France

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**Chapter 2: Hooked**

_"…News?"_

"Persona and I are talent scouts from Alice Academy. I assume you've heard of us, considering how much you draw." Narumi smiled at the shocked look on Mikan's face.

"Hold up. How do you know I like to draw?" Mikan never told anyone how much she enjoyed art, seeing as her classmates were less than appreciative of the few required fieldtrips to the art museum.

"We have our sources," Persona said, "We've come to take you to the Academy. You have potential, and it's our job to recognize that. Along with helping to nurture your talent."

"Talent? I'm sure you've got the wrong idea, Black-san." Narumi grinned at the tribute to Persona's nondescript black clothing. "I've got no potential, or talent, or whatever you call it. You must have the wrong person… I'll be going now." In all truthfulness, Mikan would have needed to live under a rock to not have heard of the Academy, and felt honored to be approached by the men. Alice Academy boasted the title of most prestigious Arts school in all of Japan, which scared her. Mikan prided herself to be mediocre artist at best, not Academy material. She was sure the second these 'talent scouts,' as they called themselves, saw her actually drawing, they would blanch send her home immediately.

Mikan had experienced enough disappointment in her life to know it was usually best to play things safe. Going to Alice Academy was most certainly _not _safe. A few years ago her best friend, Hotaru, transferred schools and left her alone. Mikan didn't want to subject her remaining friends to that sadness.

"I'm afraid you have no choice," Narumi said kindly. "Your principal and parents have already approved the transfer. In fact, your parents have already packed your bags. So you see; everything has already been taken care of."

"Wait, I'm not good enough at drawing. This is all too sudden!" Mikan protested weakly.

"Have faith, Mikan. You're better than you think, just trust me on that," Narumi assured her.

Persona looked at his watch. "Narumi, we're running late. The principal won't be happy."

"Okay. Mikan!" Narumi clapped his hands. "Ready to go?"

"No." she said sullenly.

"..." Persona stared at Mikan in an intimidating manner.

"Of course I am! Let's get going!" she smiled with fake enthusiasm. Mikan always knew when she was beaten.

And thus, Mikan Sakura became a student at Alice Academy....

* * *

"Well, here we are!" Narumi beamed as Persona navigated a shiny black Lexus through midday Tokyo traffic. Mikan looked out the tinted window, feeling quite insignificant. She had never been to such a big city before and felt cowed in comparison to the towering buildings surrounding her.

Narumi, who was sitting next to Persona in the front, twisted in his seat to face Mikan. "Welcome to Alice Academy!"

Mikan smiled faintly and continued staring out the window, watching as huge gold-tipped iron gates swung open to admit the Lexus. Persona rolled down his window and held a card out to a uniformed man who scanned it briefly, nodded, and motioned for him to pass.

Persona drove up the winding gravel road through a small forest. Mikan was amazed. A forest in Tokyo?

The car came to a stop just as a clearing emerged amidst the trees. Narumi walked around the car and opened Mikan's door. She stepped out, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"It's huge." she muttered to herself in awe, looking up at the Academy. Stone buildings towered around her; an outdoor auditorium stood to her left. Everything was absolutely immaculate, from overflowing gardens to sparkling windows. Ivy twined up the buildings, giving the Academy and almost "Old World" feel. Tendrils wound around marble sculptures decorating the entrance.

"Mikan, I just got a call from the Principal. Apparently a meeting came up at the last second, so he'll be unable to meet with you right away. He wanted me to apologize for him and tell you, once again, welcome!" Narumi lead Mikan through the grounds and to a large building on the campus outskirts. "This will be your dorm; you have room number 117. Unfortunately I teach a class that begins in the next two minutes, so I can't walk you up. Your schedule should be sitting on your bed. Good luck!" With that, Narumi walked away without waiting to hear Mikan's 'thank you.' She turned to Persona and then realized he wasn't there. Odd…

She enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face before taking a deep breath and braving the dorm room. The second she stepped inside the cool air conditioning of the foyer, she was assaulted by noise.

"What is your problem, Anna?" An athletic girl with permed, seaweed colored hair stood, hands on her hips, before a cowering girl.

"I'm sorry!" The pink haired girl, apparently called Anna, looked as if she was about to burst into tears at any second.

"You always do this, I'm so sick of it!" Seaweed-Hair scowled.

Mikan stood awkwardly, not quite sure what to do.

"I'm sorry," Anna apologized. "I'll change the toilet paper next time!" Mikan backtracked; this was all they were arguing about? Toilet paper? It was all she could do to not start giggling.

"Good. I'll hold you to that." Seaweed-Hair turned to Mikan. "Hey, what're you looking at?"

"Nothing..." Mikan trailed off. She didn't know anyone here, so she needed to make friends. But she wasn't sure she wanted to make nice with this girl.

Anna smiled at Mikan. "Don't pay attention to Sumire; she's just mad I didn't buy her father's brand of toilet paper. You're new, right? What Department are you in?"

Mikan smiled back, relieved there was at least one nice person at the Academy. "Department?"

"Jeez, don't you know anything!?" Sumire interjected snobbishly. "Department. Your area of expertise. The different Departments are," she ticked them off on her fingers, "Painting and Drawing, Band, Orchestra, IT - Industrial Technology, Home EC - Home Economics, Sculpture and Theater. Anna here is in Home EC, I'm in Theater."

"Oh." Mikan's brain was beginning to hurt, so many divisions! How many students were here? "I suppose I'm in Painting and Drawing."

"Only Painting and Drawing? That's odd..." Anna mused, "Usually people are in multiple classes, like I specialize in Home EC but I'm also in Orchestra."

"Well, I'm not quite sure; I haven't even gotten my schedule yet."

"You _just _got here? That means you haven't met anyone! I'll have to take you around and introduce you." Anna bubbled enthusiastically.

"I suppose she should meet everyone else, which means I won't have to hang around her." Sumire smiled to show Mikan she was kidding. Although, the girl was still a bit of a mystery. Mikan couldn't tell if she was nice, or a total jerk.

Anna dragged Mikan down long, luxuriously decorated hallways, Sumire trailing behind. "We have uniforms here. Don't worry, though, Mikan. They're totally adorable. They're decorated depending on the Department you belong to. Yours should be ready for you in your room."

Sumire decided to speak up. "And, even better, we get free dress. Although, most people like their uniforms so much they don't participate."

"Are the dresses ugly or something?" Mikan asked innocently.

"What?"

"The dresses. You said we get free dresses but most people don't take them. Are they ugly?"

"You are such a moron!" Sumire crowed, while Anna giggled quietly. "I said we get free dress days. Free dress as in you can wear whatever you want that day."

"Huh." Mikan once again felt rather cowed. Anna was still laughing as she knocked on a room door.

"This is Hotaru Imai's room. She's a bit cold, but she's one of my best friends. I'm sure you'll like her!" _Hotaru_, Mikan wondered, _No…it can't be…although the description 'cold' sounds pretty like her. Stop! It's not her. I'm not going to do this to myself._

A purple eyed girl with short-cut black hair opened the door expressionlessly. "What do you want?"

"Hotaru, this is Mikan Sakura. You know, the new girl Narumi told us about yesterday? I'm introducing her to all of our friends!"

Hotaru's eyes widened infinitesimally. Mikan, on the other hand, couldn't control the blatant look of shock on her face. "H-Hotaru? Is that really you?"

"Dummy. Close your mouth, a bug's going to fly in there."

"It is! I missed you!" Mikan jumped on the black haired girl, smothering her.

**Baka Baka Baka**

It was nice to see that some things hadn't changed.

Anna and Sumire stood looking confusedly between the ecstatic brunette and seemingly unaffected black haired girl. Hotaru decided to clue them in, "This is my idiot of a best friend from elementary school. I haven't contacted her since I transferred here."

"Oh." Sumire and Anna chorused, former glaring at the latter.

A whirlwind of introductions followed shortly after Hotaru's unsociable retreat to her room, along with names Mikan could hardly keep straight. Sumire grudgingly introduced her to a rather snooty girl named Luna. Apparently there was no love lost between the two. She also met Nonoko, Anna's blue haired long lost twin.

Sumire grinned wickedly, Luna banished from her mind. "You can't go to your dorm room 'till you meet the guys. _Especially _Natsume!" She fake swooned; even Anna looked taken by the idea.

"He's the campus heartthrob," Anna elaborated. "All the girls want him, and all the guys want to be him."

Mikan scowled. "Guys like that are always jerks. I'd probably be better off not meeting him."

"Not even an option!" Sumire sung, "He's the 9th wonder of the world, you'll get it once you see him." She then proceeded to drag both Anna and Mikan across campus to the open-air auditorium.

Mikan heard faint music drifting from the stage. It sounded loud, but sad at the same time. She had never heard such contradicting music before…

Sumire lead Mikan and Anna through a crowd of girls standing on the seats, down to the front of the mass. A band stood on stage.

"That's him!" Anna sighed dreamily, pointing up at the lead singer.

Four teenage boys stood playing before them. The drummer was brown haired, with warm-looking brown eyes. Sumire saw Mikan looking at him, "That's Koko. He's pretty cute." She proceeded to name the rest of the boys. "They're all in the Band Department. The bassist is Tobita Yuu; he's also the class representative. That," she sighed," is Ruka Nogi, the lead guitarist. He's gorgeous!" Mikan had to agree, the sweet, open look on his face combined with blonde hair and blue eyes was completely adorable.

"And that... that is Natsume Hyuuga." Mikan looked up at the lead singer in wonder. He was, in one word, stunning. Black hair partially obscured his deep crimson eyes. His pale skin was unblemished, and the look in his eyes was wild. Like he wanted to tear the world to shreds. Angry, but somewhere deep in the recesses of the red hid a glimmer of soft, almost boyish feeling.

As much as Mikan had wanted to hate him at first sight, she just couldn't. She knew guys like Natsume were bad news, but for whatever reason she felt drawn to him, connected somehow. Whether it was because he shared a first name with her childhood friend, or because he was undeniably gorgeous, she was irrefutably attracted.

Mikan stared up at Natsume in awe as Sumire and Anna traded knowing glances.

"She's hooked!" Anna giggled. Mikan didn't notice.

Just then, Natsume looked down at the cheering crowd, crimson eyes locking onto Mikan's face. She couldn't look away. His eyes devoured her hungrily, taking in twin pigtails and warm brown eyes.

And then, just like that, Mikan knew. This was Natsume. _Her Natsume._ In a way, it made sense - the teen before her looked just like a godly version of her childhood friend.

Natsume smirked down at Mikan, winking knowingly. _He must have known I was coming. _Mikan thought absentmindedly as the band struck their final chord.

Mikan watched as the singer took a mocking bow, his crimson eyes never leaving hers. _What? _Mikan was dumbfounded. This wasn't the Natsume she knew. The look in his eyes, while hot, most definitely did not belong on the face of her childhood friend. It was callous, uncaring. He _did _look like a jerk.

What happened to him?

**.tbc**

**

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**Author's Note: **Review and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism only, please, no flames...Revised September 27, 2009

~SL~


	3. A Name

**Disclaimer: **GA isn't mine.

* * *

**In the Margins**

_"A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love._"  
-Henri B. Stendhal

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**Chapter 3: A Name**

"Mikan. Mikan? Mikan, snap out of it!" Sumire pinched the unresponsive brunette's arm, "What are you doing? Everyone's leaving. Let's go to dinner!"

"Okay." Mikan's mind was still scrambling for a clue as to why Natsume had seemed so cold. What could have happened to him?

"I know! Let's go to the campus coffee shop. Is that okay with you guys?" Anna asked.

"Sure."

Mikan and company were comfortably seated in a coffee shop eating bagels when Natsume and the rest of the band walked in. Ruka, as Sumire had identified him earlier, looked rather worried. Mikan could just barely make out what he was saying.

"Natsume? You sure you're okay? We can always celebrate later."

_Celebrate?_

"Nah." Natsume's musical voice interrupted Mikan's musings, "It's not every day you make your first record deal." He smiled, obviously trying to placate Ruka. Mikan looked away. As curious as she was, she also knew eavesdropping was wrong.

"Okay, okay," Sumire whispered, leaning into the table conspiratorially, "what's going on between you and Natsume? That was quite the look going between you two at the concert!"

"Do tell!" Anna agreed.

Mikan sighed, she had no idea. Natsume had looked almost, well, angry to see her. Like he was mad that she had shown up. "I honestly have no idea. I'm almost sure he's the boy I was friends with when I was little, but I'm sure he's a completely different person now." Mikan faked a smile.

The girls made small talk for a while before returning to their respective rooms. Mikan opened the door to her room and then stood there, shocked. The room was amazing. Everything was luxuriously decorated; she could tell that every detail had been meticulously attended to.

Anna was right, her uniform was adorable! The pleated skirt was rather short, black with blue ribbon decorated each crease. The black short sleeve button up top matched, with a small paintbrush insignia on the upper left. Mikan assumed that was what Anna meant when she said each uniform was specialized.

Mikan picked up her schedule, which was lying next to the uniform:

Mikan Sakura

Locker # 313

Period 1: Art History

Period 2: Geometry

Period 2: English

Period 4: Painting/Drawing

Period 5: Biology

Period 6: Lunch

Period 7: Intro to Singing

Period 8: Band

Period 9: World Civilizations

The brunette sighed, she was going to an Arts school, and yet she _still _couldn't get away from Geometry. _Damn… Wait. What the…Singing? The only time I've ever sung has been in the shower, And Band? I'm not in Band. Narumi must have gotten my schedule mixed up with somebody else._

But, Mikan looked up and sure enough, _Mikan Sakura _was clearly printed on the sheet. It was only Intro to Singing though, so she was pretty sure she could handle that. But Band? That would…that would be with Natsume.

Mikan smiled, she felt as if she had somehow offended him. At least Band would give her a chance to smooth whatever had happened over. Her grandpa had told her to always look on the bright side, and she was doing just that.

The brunette hung her uniform on a plush chair in the corner and set her schedule on the nearby desk. She plunked down into the bed, and was soon asleep.

* * *

Beep Beep Beep

"Wah!" Mikan cried, tumbling out of bed at the harsh sound. She rubbed sleep from her eyes, and blearily reached up for her orange alarm clock. "Wha-" The clock read 7:55. "I'm going to be late!" Mikan rushed to her bathroom, tripping over her own feet and tumbling to the floor.

"Ow..." she muttered, her day already seemed to be turning out terribly. Mikan hurriedly brushed her teeth, threw her hair up into fresh pigtails, and slipped into her uniform. She grabbed her messenger bag and ran out the door.

The brunette sprinted across campus to the building Narumi had pointed out earlier as the Academics Center. She ran, gasping, up multiple flights of stairs until she reached the third floor. Mikan catapulted down the hallway and ran smack-dab into an extremely hard figure.

She fell to the floor and awkwardly scrambled up. Natsume Hyuuga stood before her, hooded eyes sparkling with annoyance. "What the hell are you doing? Watch where you're going, moron." With that he continued walking down the hallway, humming an unidentified tune, leaving Mikan standing behind open mouthed.

"What was his problem?" she muttered darkly. Maybe she'd gotten things mixed up, _her _Natsume wouldn't even squish an ant, much less insult her. "What a jerk!"

And with that, Natsume Hyuuga tumbled from "Mikan's List O' Friendship" onto "Mikan's List O' Jerk-Faced Cretins."

"Stupid…" she mumbled, trudging down the hallway. Her day had officially gone from bad to worse. And there was the bell. Lovely.

Mikan made a mad dash before screeching into the classroom just as the bell finished ringing.

"You're late, Ms. Sakura." A tall woman with long blond hair stood before Mikan, "I'm Ms. Serina, your Art History teacher. Please refrain from storming into the classroom in such an angry manner in the future."

"My bad." With that, classes began. They were mostly up to date with the classes Mikan took at her other school. Basically, she reverted to not paying attention. The morning passed quickly, Painting and Drawing proved the most entertaining class by far, and nothing that interesting happened there, either.

"Uwah..." Mikan yawned, stretching in her seat. It was lunch time, but she wasn't very hungry. Being the new student, she had just sat at an empty table.

"Mikan!" Anna shouted in her ear, before sitting down next to her, "What're you doing? Why didn't you come sit with us? She motioned over to another table. Sumire waved, and Hotaru nodded curtly. "Come join us?"

Mikan nodded and smiled. Finally, some friends. None of them had been in any of her morning classes, much to her chagrin.

She trailed behind Anna, looking around the lunchroom. As she had expected, it was huge, just like everything else at the Academy. "Hotaru!" she chirped, before sliding into a seat next to a violet eyed girl. "What've you been up to this morning?"

"I've been working on my Baka Gun Version 2.0 in IT." Hotaru deadpanned. Mikan flinched; Version 1 was painful enough for her.

"...I hope you aren't planning what I think you're planning to do with that..."

"I'm sure your suspicions are wrong. You see, an idiot like you would never understand what's going on in my mind."

Mikan sighed; Hotaru was just the way she remembered. The group chatted until the next bell rang, and then Mikan hurried off to Intro to Singing. She hadn't been able to track down Narumi and ask about her odd schedule.

The brunette hesitantly opened the door to the classroom. Narumi stood behind a desk at the front of the classroom, "Mikan, you made it! How's your day been so far?"

"Fine. But what are Singing and Band doing on my schedule? I can't sing to save my life. Plus, I don't even play an instrument!"

"Again, Mikan, you're better than you think. Take a seat, please. Now, let's get this party started!"

The classroom groaned at Narumi's clichéd line. "Just take that empty seat over by Natsume."

"By Natsume?" Mikan ventured. She really hoped she had heard Narumi wrong.

"Yup!" _Damn..._

Natsume didn't look too happy either; he scowled as Mikan hesitantly slid in next to him. "Don't get any ideas, moron." He growled, crimson eyes locking onto her brown ones.

"Ideas? And I have a name you know."

"I do know. Polka-dots."

"Polka-dots?" Mikan looked down at herself, she wasn't..."Pervert!" she whisper screamed.

"How'd you know?" She checked, and her undergarments were definitely in their proper place, _under_ her clothes and out of view.

"You just told me so." Natsume smirked infuriatingly at her outrage. "Don't worry, honey. We're all guys here anyway."

"I'm not a guy!"

"Huh...you could have fooled me." Natsume turned back to his manga, still smirking.

"I. Hate. You."

And with that, Natsume dropped down another notch, from "Mikan's List O' Jerk-faced Cretins" onto "Mikan's List O' Perverted Losers."

**.tbc**

**

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**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading, please review! Revised September 27, 2009.

~SL~


	4. Time Trippin'

**Disclaimer: **GA isn't mine. Enjoy!

* * *

**In the Margins**

"_After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing  
the inexpressible is music."  
_-Aldous Huxley

* * *

**Chapter 4: Time Trippin'**

Mikan Sakura straddled her stool; staring sadly at the easel before her, "My poor, misshapen cup." She lamented.

Her Painting and Drawing teacher, Nodacchi, leaned over her shoulder, "The rim will look better if you have held out your pencil and measure it, so as to get more accurate dimensions." Mikan stifled a giggle; her teacher was, well, quirky. The way he talked jumped all over the place, one second he'd be in the future tense, and then he'd be in the past. Nodacchi was time trippin' all over the place.

"Oh, like this?" Mikan closed one eye and held her pencil out, measuring the rim of the cup. She transferred the angle back to the paper, drawing a new rim.

"Good!" Nodacchi praised, "Draw what you've seen, not what you know."

"Sure." Mikan wished she could fix her problems in real life as easily as those in Painting and Drawing. Like Natsume Hyuuga.

At first Mikan thought he was her childhood friend. But she had decided, after meeting him briefly, that there was no way. Mikan honestly had no idea what she had done to him. Natsume sat next to her all Intro to Singing class, looking like something smelled bad. And then, during Band (Which she still didn't know why she was in- Her teacher, Reo, made her play the triangle. The _triangle_!), Natsume sat as far away from her as possible.

Mikan angrily scribbled at her bowl drawing and scowled at the outcome. Whoops. It now looked rather lopsided, and melted. So much for fixing all her problems…Just then the bell rang; she grabbed her messenger bag and ran to Biology.

The rest of the day progressed uneventfully, aside from a brief announcement from Narumi at lunch, "As you all know, I head the Theater Department here at the Academy. This spring, four weeks from now, we'll be putting on Shakespeare's play, "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet." This will be the annual amateur play, so we're only accepting auditions from those not in the Theater Department. Auditions are this afternoon from 3:00-4:00. I hope to see you all there!" With that, Narumi headed off to the Teacher's Lounge, whistling all the way.

"Wow! I want to audition!" Anna grinned, tugging on Mikan's arm, "What about you?"

"Boring." Sumire sighed, annoyed that she'd be unable to audition.

"Sounds like fun!" Mikan agreed with Anna. The brunette then turned to Hotaru, "You want to go with me, Hotaru?"

"No." Hotaru deadpanned. Mikan took one look at her friend and decided there was no way she'd be able to change her mind.

"I think I'll sit this one out with Hotaru." Nonoko added. Mikan didn't know the blue haired girl very well, other than she and Anna were inseparable when she wasn't down in the Sculpture Department.

"Okay, then! Mikan, we can meet in the Drama Building, okay?" Anna stood as the bell rang, and walked away to her next class.

"Wai-" Mikan had no idea where the Drama Building was..._Shoot…_

_

* * *

_

"If I were a Drama Building, where would I be?" Mikan wondered aloud, she paced outside the dorm room. She had hoped to intercept Nonoko or Hotaru and ask for directions, but so far no one had shown up.

The annoyed girl headed down stone steps and surveyed the campus grounds. She began wandering about, looking for some sort of identification on the buildings.

"Lost, chibi?" Mikan spun around as a hand clamped down over her head and spun her around.

"What ar-" She came face to face with a boy who looked to be a couple of years older than her. "Wait. _Who_ are you?"

"The name's Tsubasa. Don't wear it out." He wore the guy's version of her outfit, blue tie and all. So he was in the Painting and Drawing Department too?

Mikan looked up at him, "What do you want?" She was in a bad mood, seeing as she was irreversibly lost and rather tired.

"Is that any way to talk to your sempai?" Mikan could tell he was kidding by the teasing look in his eyes.

"Of course. Excuse my manners, _Sempai._ What do you want?"

"Nothin' much. Just hanging around. You looked lost, though. Need help finding something?"

Mikan looked at him, really looked. And then she backtracked. He was handsome, that was true. But he was obviously a trouble maker. His shirttails hung out of his pants, and his tie was rumpled. What really got to her was the tattoo under his left eye. Her grandpa always said tattoos were a bad sign. "Um...actually...yeah. Can you point me towards the Drama Building?"

"I can do even better, I'll take you there." Tsubasa turned and started walking across campus, Mikan had to power-walk to keep up with his long legs.

"So..." she scrambled for small talk, "Which Department are you in?"

"I saw you looking at my shirt, so you should know that. But," Tsubasa turned and smiled at Mikan, "You were just looking at my perfectly chiseled chest, weren't you? It's okay, the ladies love me. I've learned to accept my good looks."

"I was not!" Mikan protested indignantly, blushing uncomfortably. In all truthfulness, this guy was nothing next to Natsume. But, he wasn't bad to look at either. She smiled at the thought.

"I know; I was just trying to make you uncomfortable." Tsubasa chuckled.

"Sure..." Mikan sighed, something about this guy reminded her of Natsume, who she definitely didn't want to spend her spare time thinking about. This Tsubasa guy was more outgoing, but he had the same dangerous aura about him. Laughing and scheming at the same time.

"Here we are." Tsubasa gestured grandly at a nondescript brick building. "I'll see you around." With that, he sauntered away.

"Huh...thanks?" Mikan said to nobody in particular. "Romeo and Juliet, huh? I wonder who else is auditioning..." She squared her shoulders and headed into the Drama Building. And then right back out.

_Natsume Hyuuga. You're auditioning too? Must you ruin every part of my life?_

**.tbc**

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**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading! Revised September 27, 2009.

~SL~


	5. Paint

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice isn't mine.

* * *

**In the Margins**

_Dreaming  
I was only dreaming  
of another place and time  
where my family's from._

_Singing  
I can hear them singing.  
When the rain had washed away  
all these scattered dreams._

_Dying  
everyone's reminded.  
Hearts are washed in misery,  
drenched in gasoline._

_Laughter  
there is no more laughter.  
Songs of yesterday now live  
in the underground..._

_When the sky is falling down  
it burned your dreams into the ground._

_-Green Day's 'Before the Lobotomy'_

* * *

**Chapter Five: Paint**

_Natsume Hyuuga. You're auditioning too? Must you ruin every part of my life?_

Mikan sighed, running away was not an option; she needed to face her fears. Namely, Natsume Hyuuga. She hadn't done anything at all to him, so there was absolutely no reason for her to hide from him! The brunette squared her shoulders and marched back into the drama building.

The structure's slightly shabby outsides proved to be no indication to the splendor inside. Mikan tentatively stepped into the air-conditioned exterior, onto the plushy carpet, and surreptitiously straightened her hair. Something about the Academy made her feel extremely insignificant. She reconsidered; the gold leaf decorating the ceiling probably was the culprit. _Really, is that necessary? Who actually looks at ceilings?_ _Okay, me apparently..._ Mikan grinned. She tugged at the wooden double doors leading into the auditorium, and took a deep breath before entering.

She crept down the middle row between plush seats as a large boy, sweating profusely, stuttered out a rather mangled version of Romeo's lines. Mikan apologized to multiple people as she ungracefully stepped on their feet, the unfortunate victims of her crusade to pick her way across the auditorium over to Anna. She finally collapsed into an open seat next to the pink haired girl and whispered, "Why are there so many people here? I didn't think anyone would actually want to audition."

"Most of the people here are girls. It's because of Natsume." Anna grinned conspiratorially.

"Wait, is that why you're here too?"

"Yup!" Mikan sighed, and then looked up as the girl on her other side giggled.

Natsume strode across the stage and looked directly into the crowd. As he began to speak, Mikan groaned. He was _good_, and worst of all, he knew it. His musical voice filled the auditorium and he held himself like a real noble. Narumi made a few notes on his clipboard, and then waved for Natsume to stop.

"You have the part, congratulations!"

The black-haired teen smirked at the other boys auditioning for Romeo, flashed the 'victory' sign, and then sauntered out the door.

"Mikan-chan, you're up!" Narumi called, shading his eyes as he searched the crowd for her. Mikan pushed away her growing feelings of stage-fright and walked to the front.

* * *

"That," the brunette vented to her friends, "was horrible!"

Anna smothered a grin, "Just because everyone laughed at you doesn't mean you were bad. You were just…"

"'Just' what? Horrible, terrible? I already know that."

"Damn that Luna," Sumire growled, "I can't believe she got Juliet's part. She only auditioned because of Natsume, anyway!"

"I know." Mikan muttered, "She doesn't even care about the part!"

"At least Narumi said you could work on the props, right? Your name will still be on the program!" Anna attempted to console the distraught girl.

"And I have to watch Luna make cow eyes at Natsume for hours on end! No thank you!"

"Well then why did you say you'd accept a job to Narumi?"

"I couldn't say no in front of all of those people. I wasn't thinking right! Plus, those stage lights were totally frying my eyes." Mikan stomped her foot at the injustice of it all and then winced. Her shoes were definitely a size too small, her grandfather officially failed at shopping.

"Natsume's coming our way...Mikan, do you want to duck into the bushes?" Anna, always the observant one, chuckled.

"No, it's not a big deal. He wasn't even there when I auditioned."

"Oi, polka dots, I heard about your audition." Natsume smirked, leaning against a nearby dorm building, hands folded behind his head.

_Damn..._

"I didn't know it was possible to poke yourself in the eye with your own script. How'd you manage that?" He jeered, ignoring the pained expression on Mikan's face.

"You...you..."

"And, I heard your voice cracked more than five times. That's just plain embarrassing. Are you sure you're a girl?" His red eyes glinted merrily as Sumire snorted and Anna elbowed the green haired girl in the ribs.

Mikan stood her ground, "Modeling much?" she asked, gesturing to his pose against the building.

"Like what you see?" He raised one eyebrow infuriatingly.

"Ew, no."

"Sure." Natsume drew the word out until Mikan snapped.

"You...you jerk! What did I ever do to you? Nothing! That's right, nothing! So why do you feel the need to mock me every second I come within fifty feet of you? You're so annoying!"

"You don't know the half of it." Natsume glared at Mikan, crimson eyes burning into her brown ones. He shoved himself off the wall and stalked away angrily.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" Sumire asked, rubbing comforting circles on her seething friend's back.

"I just...I don't understand what happened. I'm sure we used to play together, not that I remember much of it. That was years ago. But we were friends; I don't understand why he isn't happy to see me. After all, the last time I talked to him was right before I moved."

"You moved?" Sumire and Anna chorused, before trading knowing looks with each other.

"What?" Mikan asked.

"Nothing..." Anna trailed off. "I think it's better that you two work things out between yourselves."

"Fat chance. I'm not ever talking to that jerk again!"

* * *

Mikan adjusted her position, once again cursing the uncomfortable auditorium floor. She glared over in the general direction of Natsume and Luna, and then continued painting the backdrop for scene one. Narumi was down with a cold and had forced Jinno to act as a stand in director for the day. The uptight man was, unfortunately, Mikan's math teacher and hated her with a passion.

Natsume strode over to Mikan, taking a swig from his water bottle, "You call those things flowers?" he taunted.

"..." The brunette glowered up at him, and returned to concentrating on her painting.

"You realize I could make your life a living hell..." Natsume threatened, crouching down to eye level with Mikan.

"I'd like to see you try," the brown haired girl sniffed as she outlined a rose in black.

Natsume set down his water bottle and dipped his thumb into a nearby red paint can, holding it out to Mikan, who obliviously continued to paint. He smirked and then leaned closer, whispering in her ear, "Are you sure about that?" His thumb hovered near her cheek.

"Of course," she stuttered, affected by his closeness.

"You just bought yourself a one way ticked to hell, little girl," Natsume chuckled into her ear before caressing her cheek with his thumb, leaving a red streak behind.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Mikan asked confusedly, reaching up to her cheek. She felt something sticky, and looked down at her now red fingers.

"You...you jerk!" The brunette shoved Natsume, who to her dismay, stayed firmly anchored.

"What did you just call my Natsume?" A strawberry blond haired girl walked up behind Natsume and rested her hand on his broad shoulder. Mikan racked her brains and realized after a couple seconds that the glaring girl was Luna.

"A jerk!" she said indignantly.

"Hmm..." Luna grinned and dipped her hand in a can of green paint, before slowly dragging the hand across her own dress.

"What are you-" Mikan began, before she was interrupted.

Luna hid her now green hand in the folds of her dress before shrieking loudly, "Mikan! How could you?! Jinno-sensei, Mikan just got green paint all over my dress!"

Natsume smirked at the look of outrage on Mikan's face, before standing as Jinno roughly pulled Mikan to her feet, "Ms. Sakura, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"But, but I-"

"Ms. Sakura, I knew from the second you stepped into my class that you were a trouble maker. For this, you are no longer permitted to paint the scenery." Mikan secretly grinned, glad to be freed of the torture of seeing Luna simpering all over Natsume every day.

"Instead," he continued, "You are demoted to janitor. You have no say in this matter; please reimburse Ms. Koizumi for her dress. Everyone," he motioned to the rest of the crew and actors, obviously fed up with the whole extravaganza, "you are dismissed for the day."

Luna and Natsume smirked down at Mikan, "What did I tell you?" asked the latter, after the strawberry blond had floated off to her dorm room, intent on changing out of her green-streaked dress.

Mikan growled and then heaved herself up from the floor, dripping red paintbrush in hand. She stood on her tiptoes before Natsume, and whipped the paintbrush out from behind her back before wiping it all over his face. Natsume jumped back and grabbed the offending instrument from Mikan. "You're going to pay for that," he smirked, before grabbing both of her wrists in one hand and slamming her against the wall.

He looked around, making sure everyone had left. Mikan whimpered in pain, he had a grip like iron on her wrists. Satisfied, he leaned forward and hissed in her ear, "You better watch your back, little girl." Natsume stared deeply into Mikan's eyes with a slightly tormented look, almost as if he regretted what he had just done, before he smirked once again and let her slide to the floor. He looked away, turned, and stalked off to the bathrooms.

The brunette stayed where Natsume had thrown her, literally shaking in her paint splattered boots. He actually _scared _her. She hadn't been taking him seriously, even from the beginning she had though he was just teasing her.

_Hmm..._she thought, _I'm sure he was my childhood friend. After all, how many people that look like him are named Natsume Hyuuga? I wonder what happened to make him this way. He used to be so sweet. Was it something I did?_

Meanwhile, Natsume splashed his face with water, before dragging a red hand across the mirror, leaving a blood-colored hand print. His hand clenched as he groaned and punched the mirror, watching as it shattered to the sink. _Damn_, He looked down at his now bloody hand, _this isn't what I wanted; I never thought it would turn out this way..._

**TBC**

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**Author's Note: **Okay, so it took me forever to update, sorry! I hope you liked it. Also, I hope I mixed it up a bit, Mikan appointed/demoted to janitor and the next chapters won't be as angsty, I'm not quite sure where this came from…Revised September 27, 2009.

~SL~


	6. Nat Chan

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice isn't mine.

* * *

**In the Margins**

_Share each day with me, each night, each morning...  
Say you love me...  
Love me - that's all I ask of you_.  
_Anywhere you go let me go too...  
Love me - that's all I ask of you.  
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime...  
Say the word and I will follow you...  
Share each day with me, each night, each morning..._

_-Phantom of the Opera's 'All I Ask'_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Six: Nat-Chan**

Over the course of the last few days, Mikan had decided there was most likely nothing worse than being resident janitor at a theater. Narumi merely laughed when she complained about her predicament and ordered her to chase the barf bins. And the worst? Luna used every chance she could get to make Mikan's life absolutely miserable.

"Oh, I dropped my cell down the toilet! Mikan, would you be a dear and fish that out for me?" Evil grin.

"Mikan!" Practically sings, "There's _mold_. In my dressing room, under the couch. Please remove it immediately."

"The sink drain is clogged again, Mikan!" Simpering.

Mikan repeatedly cursed the strawberry blond to the deepest pits of hell as she embarked on her newest assignment: ridding the ceiling directly above the stage of spiders and spider webs. It was just like Luna to discover Mikan's fear of heights and then force her to do something like this. Narumi called it being a team player. Mikan surmised her experience as torture. _Don't look down, don't look down! _she chanted over and over to herself in a mantra.

"Little girl!" A distinctly masculine voice called up to her; Mikan wavered on her precarious perch at the top of the ladder.

_Don't look down, don't look down...._"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" _Gah, it's Natsume. He won't stop bothering me until I do what he wants._

"Yes?" Mikan asked, shading her eyes from the brightness of the stage lights; there was no way they were frying her eyes again. _Oh god..._she started to feel slightly sick and wavered slightly on her perch.

Natsume stood with his hands on his hips, red eyes glinting dangerously. "You're in my way. I'm supposed to be practicing there." He pointed to a piece of tape directly under the ladder.

"And...?" Mikan willed herself to remain calm. She could handle the height, no biggie. She couldn't be any more than eight feet off the ground. _Eight long, painful feet..._

"Move." He stated quietly, albeit forcefully.

"Why should I?" Mikan flung a feather duster about above her head, she honestly had no idea how Luna expected her to rid the entire ceiling of all spider webs.

Natsume smirked and rested his hand on one of the ladder's legs. "My hand could slip, you know," He shook the ladder a bit to further cement his point. Mikan blanched, holding on for dear life. _Give in to Natsume, or death. Natsume or death, Natsume or-_

"Okay, give me a second!" Mikan muttered before slowly shimmying down. Natsume didn't take his hand off of the ladder and instead, when she was a mere five rungs from the ground, shook the latter deftly, intent on throwing her off.

Mikan clung to the ladder but unfortunately for her, Natsume was strong enough rock the ladder back and forth. With a yelp, she fell to the side, and face planted into something extremely hard and...warm? She pushed herself up on her forearms, shook the hair from her eyes, and turned bright red as she realized she was splayed out on top of Natsume, legs tangled in his.

"Owww..." he muttered, rubbing his head, which had knocked against the floor. Mikan turned at least seven different shades of red when she felt his chest rumble underneath her as he groaned. She rolled off of him, ribs throbbing, and lay panting at his side.

"'Ow' is right," she moaned, clutching her side.

"Damn, woman, you weigh more than a pile of bricks. What are you eating?" Natsume turned on his side and scowled at her.

"So now I've been elevated to woman, not little girl?" Mikan smiled.

"No little girl I know weighs that much..." Natsume growled childishly. Mikan merely grinned back in return; it was just like old times. They _constantly_ argued and rarely agreed. The reason they had remained so close over the years when they were young still remained a mystery to Mikan.

Natsume remained on his side, staring at Mikan, who looked up at the ceiling with a small smile on her lips. She hadn't changed at all; she looked just like the little girl he had befriended at the young age of two. As innocent as always.

Mikan turned to Natsume, wondering why he hadn't yet rolled away from her and stood up. She jerked back a bit when she found him staring at her, deep in thought. A light blush dusted his pale features when he realized she had caught him staring.

"Ugly." He spat, rolling over so his back was to her.

"Loser!" She poked him in the back, finger lightly trailing down his spine a bit. He wasn't quite as bony as she'd always thought, a bit more muscular.

"Stupid." He kicked back, catching her in the upper thigh.

"Ow! I mean, um, idiot!" She retaliated, aiming a painful kick at his lower back. Nastume growled and turned to face

"You better take that back if you know what's good for you!" He sounded so serious, Mikan just had to laugh. "You brought this on yourself," he grinned before lunging. Mikan held her hands forward defensively, attempting to fend him off. He chuckled and began tickling her mercilessly, avoiding multiple attempted elbow jabs.

"You...you..." Mikan wheezed, fighting back weakly.

"Will you give up and admit defeat?" Natsume smirked down at the girl beneath him. Her face turned to a rather fetching shade bright red as she gasped for air.

"O...kay..." She giggled weakly.

At this point in time, two unfortunate things occurred simultaneously: Natsume realized that he was practically lying on top of Mikan and rolled off - she missed his warmth - and Luna Koizumi walked in on their little bonding episode. "What," she enunciated each syllable infuriatingly slowly, as if she couldn't believe what she saw, "are you doing to Natsume, Mikan?" Her voice shook slightly as Nastume stood.

"I think that the question," Mikan dissolved into giggles, "is what Natsume was going to _me_! He was practically suffocating me! And raping...So attempted strangulation and rape. I could practically get him arrested for this!"

Luna turned as pale as a sheet before putting a small hand on Natsume's shoulder, "It's not true, right honey? She's...she's lying, right?"

"What are you, my mother?" The crimson eyed teen shook off her hand in disgust and reached a hand down to Mikan. She reached up and grasped it and both froze, Luna forgotten. Their hands matched up _perfectly_. His hand wasn't large enough to completely envelop hers, but still big enough to fit comfortingly with her smaller one. Like lost pieces of a puzzle reunited, their hands _fit_ together.

Luna interrupted their warm fuzzies, "Natsume-kun?" The aforementioned teen pulled Mikan up and released her hand reluctantly. "Koizumi, I thought I told you. You aren't my mother. I don't give a damn what you think, so leave us alone!" She huffed angrily, gave him one last look, and then flounced off in the general direction of her dressing room.

"Well that was funny," Mikan chuckled, turning to Natsume.

"You shouldn't let Koizumi order you around like that," he frowned down at her worriedly.

"Don't worry, Nat-chan, I can take care of myself. When she gets to her dressing room, all the mold I scraped off along with the stuff from her drain and a gift from all of those barf bins I had to chase down will be waiting for her in her bed!" Mikan declared proudly. _Wait, Nat-chan? Isn't that what I used to call him when we were little? Weird...it just came out._

Natsume caught the reference to their childhood and blanched. He had forgotten his anger over her leaving. _I need to watch myself, soon she'll be brainwashing me, as well as everyone else at school. _He schooled his face into a frown, and glared stonily at Mikan. It was hard, though, she looked so happy, hair mussed, face red, eyes shining. _No! _he berated himself, _I'm angry with her. _

Mikan noted the change in his demeanor confusedly. He had been having just as much fun as her minutes ago, his eyes had been smiling, and his face wasn't as pale as usual. What happened?

"Mikan, I need to practice. The ladder's still in my way," Natsume grunted.

"...huh?"

"Get the freaking ladder out of my way, Mikan."

"Okay, okay," The girl dragged the ladder to stage left, frowning. The piece of equipment wasn't light by any stretch of the imagination, Natsume should have helped her!

Natsume moved to the duck tape 'x' and began reciting his lines, not looking back at Mikan. She sighed and left the stage, heading off to find Anna for some advice, thoroughly confused. _What happened? We were having so much fun! I thought we were bonding..._

As soon as the brunette let the Drama building's double doors swing shut behind her, Nastume stopped reciting his lines, a bit peeved with himself. He'd just let Mikan see him having fun, this wasn't supposed to happen. She needed to atone for what she had done, he couldn't be her friend. The small voice in the back of his head argued, **_Why can't you just let her in?_**

_She doesn't know what her leaving did to me._

**_And she won't ever if you don't tell her._**

_It's not fair._

**_Life isn't fair._**

_It should be._

**_That's childish, and you know it. You enjoyed spending time with her; she's just as fun as she used to be. Keep in mind that once you make a decision, there's no going back. She means more to you than you realize now; don't let her slip through your fingers. _**

Natsume sighed and buried his head in his hands. He just hoped he didn't lose his mind before he lost the girl...

**TBC**

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**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Poor Natsume, he's so clueless when it comes to relationships…

So, review and tell me how this chapter went, you know you want to! (That green button's just so enticingly um...green!)

~SL~


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